Excavations near the village of Debelt in southeastern Bulgaria produced an astonishing artifact that changes the understanding of the history of Christianity in the country. At the site of an ancient Roman Empire colony known as Deultum, archaeologists unearthed a rolled-up silver sheet amulet dating to the late second or early third century AD. Clearly Christian in nature, the amulet references Jesus Christ and the archangels Gabriel and Michael, and also includes the sign of the cross incorporated into Christ’s name. According to its discoverers, this is the oldest Christian relic ever found in Bulgaria, and as such it firmly grounds Christian practice in the era when Deultum was a thriving port city and Roman Empire colony occupied by retired veterans of the Roman legions. Read moreSection: ArtifactsAncient WritingsNewsHistory & ArchaeologyAncient PlacesEuropeRead Later